Nut and bolt assembling machine



.I. CRAIG AND 0-. C. THOMSON, NUT AND BOLT ASSEIMBLING MACHINE. APPLICATION men MAYlQ. 1920.

1,375,829. 7 I Patented Apr. '26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. CRAIG AND C. C. THOMSON.

NUT-AND BOLT ASSEMBLI-NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FIBJI- Win/E6655 mwzlvro/Ps v 6m 6 JM- aw it cerned.

UNITEE STATES earner orrice.

NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING IvIAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921 Application filed May 19, 1920. Serial No. 382,650.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Q AMES CRAIG and CHAnLns C. Trroiuson, residing at Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, both citizens of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Nut and Bolt Assembling Machines, of which improvements the following is a specification.

@ur invention relates to improvements in machines for applying nuts to bolts; its objects are simplicity, accuracy, and durability.

The machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Figure l is a view of the machine in side elevation, the bolthandling members being, for purposes of illustration, removed; Fig. H is a view in end elevation of the machine in the same condition; Figs. Ill and IV are corresponding views oi the machine, with the bolthandling members in place but certain of the nut-handling members (again for simplicity of illustration) omitted.

Referring first to Figs. I and H, from a suitable hopper l or other place of supply, the nuts to be applied advance along a slideway 2. Means of propulsion of the nuts are indicated in the drawings, but with these ou present invention is not directly con- Slideway 2 communicates with a slideway 3 which subtends it transversely. A single nut (a is shown in position at the point of intersection of the two slideways The particular disposition of the slideway 3 is not essential; in this instance it conveniently takes the are shape, best shown in Fig. I A reciprocating pusher & is provided, which, entering slideway 3 at one end, engages the nuts as they advance one by one from slideway 2. The pushe serves a double purpose: When it advances it cuts oil slideway 2 te1nporarily, to prevent the advance of another nut, and it pushes along slideway 3 the nut which it has already engaged. The pusher will accordingly be longitudinally extended, and its length will be as great as the range of its normal movement. Furthermore, it will move in a path coincident with slideway 1 8; and, since that slideway is conveniently arc-shaped, the pusher a will conveniently be pivoted on a bearing concentric with the slideway. The drawings show an arm 5 pivoted on shaft 6 and carrying pusher 4, and a cam 7 keyed to shaft 6. The pusher is reciprocated in one direction (retracted) by the rotation of the shaft through the action of cam '7 upon a swinging lever 8 with which arm 5 is linked, and it is reciprocated in opposite direction (to push forward a nut through slideway by tie tensioif of a spring 5). The slideway 8, furthermore, is shaped to hold the advancing nut against rotation. For reasons which presently will be explained, pusher l need not and preferably does not reciprocate through more than a portion ofthe length of slideway 3.

By the instrumentalities thus far clescribed, it willbe apparent that a succession oi nuts descending by gravity through the terminal portion of slideway 2 will. as the machine operatesthat is to say, as shaft 6 turnsbe pushed one by one along slideway 3, to the remote end of the range of reciprocation of pusher a.

Turning now to Figs. HI and IV, it is to be observed that the nut-impelling means already described are overlain by means for impelling bolts one by one and for applying them to the nuts. These means in preferred form consist essentially of two pairs of plates movable, theJone pair relatively to the other, and spaced apart at an interval such as to' receive the shanks of the bolts to be dealt with. The plates of one pair are movable relatively to the other, and by such movement carry. forward one by one the bolts introduced between, and rotate them at the same time. Gorrespondence in position and adjustment in speed between movable plates and the pusher for the nuts, already considered, brings aboutan advance of both nut and bolt together and a rotation of the bolt, such as to cause it, (the threads making engagement) to advance longitudinally within the nut, so that at the end of this operation bolt and nut are discharged from the machine with nut assembled on bolt. The particular arrangement is preferably that shown in the drawings.

Mounted for rotation on an axis coincident with the axis of turning of-pusher l is a pair of disks 10. These dislrs are thinedged; as shown they are separated atan interval one from another, and are adjustable in their spacin Opposite the peripheries of disks 10 and extending throughout a portion of the peripheries is a corresponding pair of arc-shapedplatcs 11, also thin-edged,

adjustable in their position, relatively to disks l0 and adjustable also in their spacing one from another. The center oi curvature of the are to which the edges of these plates are shaped is (with such departure as is involved in the adjustment mentioned) the center out turning cl dishs it). The disks l0 and plates 11 are thin edgcd, to enter the threads of a bolt intrcdu ed between; they are adjustable, the plates relatively to 1,1 trio disks, to accommodate bolts of at thickness, and pair by p 1r, the v the. plates are adjustal is in their spacing disk from disk and pl commodate bolts h threads cut to d ferent scales. This does not mean that er new pitch requires a new setting of and i plates. For in P the bolts be dealt with are t n of them, the U. S. scale, lsks be spaced apart and the pn. paced Kept i. an interval of one ry bort will be received and dealt at. l p ry, whether the pitch be it to the 1 1 n or 20, or other to the same scale.

It remains to be noted that provided with an extension and ill) which, when in pi peripheries of di i s i ciently to be lain across the ed. f the per tion of pusher l v. ich bears o no nuts the portion which bears on the snanlr a bolt are properly related to advance nut and bolt together when brought to 2 ".il aline ment. This best appears in Fig, l, where nut is indicated a and a belt at b. It is to be noted also that plates 11 are conveniently so'arranged that there is a space through which nut bolt are pushed be- Y m 5) Lla: r

fore the advancing bolt is engaged by the edges of plates 11, and, so engaged, begins to revolve.

The operation will readily be understood. The parts constructed and I ranged as has been described, the action of the nut-feeding mechanism furnishes a succession of nuts descending through slideway 2, ready be taken up and advanced one by one. he shaft 6 turns, arm 5 oscill tee, and in its as cillation advances the nuts one by one along slideway 8. On each retraction of pusherelthe attendant deposits a bolt upon the edges of disks 10, opposite a nut standing in the posltion indlcated at a, r 1g. l. The thread ed portion of the shank o1" tl bolt on the disks, and the thin edges of the dislzzs enter the threads. l/Vith nut and bolt sorelatively placed, pusher l advances, and can ries them together sidewise. will be understood disks 10 are rotating, and

' the rotation tends to carry the bolt forward Meantime, it

10. In the particular machine shown the swing of arms 5 is through a narrow ar c,- e5 more or less-and the arm swings twice with each rotation of shaft 6 and of disks 10.

As bolt and nut advance in alinement and in juxtaposition, as described, the plates 11 engage the shank oi the bolt; the edges of the plates enter the threads; and then the continued rotation of disks 1U eilects a positive "frictional rotation, a rolling of the bolts between disks and plates, with the ellect that the shanks of the bolts are screwed into the nuts. r-is this operation nogresses the bolts move longitudinally toward the "uts. lhe range oi pusher movement is suiiicient to bring the bolts under the certain turning influence or the cooperating d and plates. The pusher duty is then nulilied, and the pusher may return to its initial position. During the further operation the nut is carried forward in consequence of its engagement by the bolt. The coopcrating edges oi disks and plates 10 and ii are suiliciently extended to effect the turning oi bolt within nut to the desired degree.

The oi" 'nt hown is of no i it is cong "the b conveniently i. ed (i ill), at the i or the rims of the disks 10; at or the plates ll is through a it; the direction of turnin is, obvic 0 reasons, anti-clockwise.

lviodiiication in detail has been alluded to; the showing of the drawings is exemplary; the following claims define what is essential; beyond that, the invention admits of such variation in mechanical details, as the engineer may prefer or find desirable.

We claim as our invention:

1. in a nut and bolt assembling machine, a roll way for bolts formed by and between opposite bolt-engaging members extending in parallelism, means for moving one'oi said members relatively to the other in the line of such parallelism, whereby a bolt engaged by the said opposite members is rolled in said roll way, and means for causing a nut restrained against rotation to advance in unison with a bolt so rolled, substantially as described.

In a nut and bolt assembling machine,

opposite members is rolled in said roll way,

and, by virtue of engagement of one of said members with its threaded shank, is caused to advance longitudinally as it rolls, together with means for causing a nut while restrained against rotation to advance in unison with such rolling bolt, substantially as described.

3. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination of a slideway for a nut, an adjacent roll-way for a bolt, and a pusher advancing through a portion of the extent of slideway and roll-way, substantially as described.

4:. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination of a slideway for nuts and a roll-way for bolts, said roll-way consisting of two pairs of oppositely placed knifeedged plates, and means for moving the plates of one of said pairs relatively to the other, substantially described.

5. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination of a slideway for nuts and a roll-way for bolts, said roll-way consisting of two pairs of oppositely placed knifeedged plates, the plates of each pair being adjustable in their spacing one from another, and means for moving the plates of one of said pairs relatively to the other, substantially as described.

6. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination or" a slideway for nuts and a roll-way for bolts, said roll-way consisting of two pairs of oppositely placed knife-edged plates, the pairs bein adjustable in their spacing, pair from pair, and means for moving the plates of one of said pairs relatively to the other, substantially as described.

7. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination of a slideway for a nut and an adjacent roll-way for a bolt, and means for rolling a bolt along said roll-way, substantially as described.

8. In a nut and bolt assembling machine, the combination of a rotatable shaft, a boltrolling disk mounted on said shaft, a boltengaging plate arranged opposite the edge of said disk and forming with the disk a bolt roll-way, a slideway for a nut arranged adjacent the said roll-way, an arm pivoted on said shaft, means for efiecting periodic oscillation of said arm as the shaft rotates, and a pusher carried by said arm, substantially as described.

9. In a nut and bolt assembling machine the combination of an essentially cylindrical support mounted for rotation upon a horizontal axis, by virtue of which arrangement a bolt laid upon its upper rim may rest thereon by gravity, said support being provided with a knife edge adapted to enter the thread upon the shank of a bolt laid thereon, a curved wall spaced at an interval from the rim of said support parallel therewith and forming therewith a way wherein a bolt laid upon said support will roll as said support rotates, together with means for causing a nut restrained against rotation to advance in unison with a bolt advancing in such way, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JAlvlES CRAIG. CHARLES C. THOMSON.

Witnesses:

GHARLns FLUGHBARTH, WALTER W. SMITH. 

